Caroline sleepily opened her tired eyes, vision blurring as bright, shimmering lights assaulted her. The room itself was dark as night, and she could barely make out the figures of the furniture around her - a chair here, an end table there - but the city lights burst in through the open curtains, illuminating all that its tendrils could reach.
With an unladylike groan, she dragged a pillow over her head and settled back into a comfortable position. The arms wrapped just beneath her bust were warm and gentle, soothing her as she attempted to recall the events of the previous day. Tyler. She thought dazedly. Her knight-in-shining-armor was here to protect from the evils of the world. His hands were strong, and although it was a mere touch, his fingertips seemed to convey to her that he truly adored her. As she linked her arms through the spaces between his, Tyler groaned softly and cuddled her closer.
"Tyler, are you awake?" Caroline mumbled groggily, lightly tickling his forearm.
A deep chuckle passed from Tyler's lips, and he snuggled her closer. "Wrong hybrid, love," Tyler murmured.
"Right, right..." She determined that Tyler was too sleepy to talk at the moment, or even to cuddle a little more intimately, so she gave up and started to drift back to sleep.
Then, her eyes fluttered open.
This wasn't Tyler, cuddling her with his lips lightly brushing her shoulder blade. With a shrill shriek, she grabbed the nearest pillow and gave a hard whack to the man sleeping next to her.
"Ow, ow...love...!" Klaus groaned, starting to sit up.
"Get away from me!" Caroline screamed hysterically, continually whacking him with her pillow. "Don't touch me! You're disgusting!"
Suddenly, Klaus's hand was clapped over her mouth, and he yanked her down onto the floor with him. She was having none of that, and she pounded her fists on his chest and struggled violently, her screaming muffled by his hand. Tears streaked her cheeks as her eyes met his patient ones, watching her calmly as she exhausted herself. Her body, tired and spent from her outburst, went limp beneath him, and her chest heaved as his hand moved from her mouth to hold her down at the shoulder.
"Now, now, love..." He cooed sweetly, wiping her tears away with his thumb. "You're safe. Nobody is going to hurt you."
"Except for you, you pig!" Caroline shouted, roughly slamming the palms of her hands against his chest in a futile attempt to push him off. He barely flinched, eliciting the same deep chuckle from earlier.
"I wouldn't anger me at the moment, sweetheart," He informed her, wrenching Caroline to her feet. He found it difficult to support her limp, weakly struggling body as her knees gave out in his arms.
"Get out of my - "
"Shared hotel room?" Klaus finished for her, nodding towards the open window.
It was pure visual poetry as she slowly turned her head towards the window, her lips parting into a little 'O' shape as she took in the sight outside.
Paris.
Motherfucking Paris.
The Eiffel Tower was sinfully near to them, its lights glowing a faint yellow that gave the entire city a dreamy, romantic glow. The harbor sparkled with the same lights, and the streets were more congested with tourists going on a nightly bike ride than cars. Little boutiques and adorable restaurants were still lively, even at the ungodly hour she assumed it was, Parisians and tourists alike striding down the streets in cute little Parisian clothes with big, beautiful Parisian shopping bags.
She wasn't sure whether to hit him, or to throw her arms around him.
Although the sights themselves should've been enough to confirm it, with shaky lips she turned back to Klaus. "Where...where are we right now?" She gasped, trembling.
"Paris, capital of France," He responded nonchalantly, a teasing smirk threatening to burst into full smirk-iness as he watched her expression rapidly change.
"How far are we from Mystic Falls?"
"Roughly 3,917 miles. I could check the hotel Internet for you, if you'd like an exact measurement."
Slowly, Caroline lowered herself onto the end of the bed. "No, no, that's okay..." She whispered in disbelief.
"Didn't you believe me when I told you I would take you to Paris?"
"What?" Caroline sputtered, his words snapping her out of her hazy state of mind.
"Don't you remember? The night of the annual Mikaelson ball, when I showed you my art?"
When her only response was a blank expression, he elaborated for her.
"I bought your dress, and left it in a box on your doorstep. You danced with me, and, after I told you the story of my horse and showed you some sketches, you told me I couldn't relate to people, ripped the bracelet I'd given you for your birthday from your wrist, and if my memory serves me right, you threw it at me."
"I didn't throw it at you."
"If you want to be argumentative, love, I could just compel you to sleep again, and go clothes shopping for you by myself..." He trailed off, the smile he gave her both challenging and menacing.
"What, are you going to give me an empty bag and tell me to go try it on? I know that trick. Tyler's tried it on me too many times to count. I told you I was too smart to be seduced by you."
"Ah, Caroline, darling...I'm a tad more suave and mannered than my pathetic little excuse for a hybrid. I've been around a thousand years; at least give me some credit. I'm familiar with the tricks of the trade. I can do better than an empty bag."
"What, no bag at all?" She snapped flippantly.
Klaus lowered himself onto the bed beside her, watching her with an unnervingly knowing smile. "No, I was thinking more along the lines of throwing your pretty little arse over my shoulder and forcing you into whatever I damn well please." He seized her chin between his thumb and forefinger. "Like my little vampire Barbie doll."
Caroline ripped her chin from his grip, moving to the complete other side of the bed. "If...if I agree to go shopping with you, will you not, um, force me into whatever you damn well please?" She choked on the words, purposely avoiding the 'throw your pretty little arse over my shoulder' part of the threat.
"As long as you behave yourself, you'll find that I can be quite agreeable," He informed her. He watched her disgusted expression for a moment, before nodding towards the bathroom. "Now, if you're positive you've chosen to cooperate, you may go take a shower, and I've left a change of clothes folded neatly on the sink for you to wear."
"Gee, thanks for allowing me to go get a shower," Caroline scoffed.
"Careful, love. I'm still a tad upset over your behavior earlier. I might do something rash and unpleasant if you don't keep yourself in line." His smile could have fooled an unsuspecting passerby into thinking that he was showering her with teasing compliments. With a flip of her hair and a defiant hmph, she marched off into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her for effect.
She could hear his laugh penetrate through the door as she began to shimmy out of her jeans. Pig. She thought, unsuccessfully attempting to deter all thoughts of how adorable his dimples were, the way his curls fell just so that made her want to entwine her fingers in them, how kissable his lips looked, or how delicious his accent was. Tossing her clothes on the floor, she stepped into the shower and let out a relaxed sigh as the hot water beat down on her.
She stood there for several minutes, the water therapeutic on her bare skin, until the entire bathroom had fogged up. Taking her sweet time, she rubbed the luxuriously scented shampoo into her blonde curls, and let the water rinse it away before repeating the process all over again.
She had just been forgetting the fact that she was trapped in the city of lights with the most powerful vampire in history when the doorknob twisted and Klaus strolled in like it was no big deal. She began to frantically wash herself as she heard the sound of clothing being removed, and the door locking. He turned on the sink and began to splash his face with cold water, preparing for the evening. Her heart began to pound as she swallowed, positive he could hear every rampant beat of her pulse. Suddenly, he pushed the curtain aside and poked his head in. Caroline screamed louder than she'd ever remembered screaming, and she wrapped the shower curtain around her naked body, seconds too late for him to have gotten a good, satisfying glance.
"What in the hell are you doing?" She screamed, throwing a loofah at his head. He easily ducked, smile unwavering at he placed it back on the edge of the bathtub.
"Get out!" She screamed again, unsuccessful in finding something else to throw at him.
To her horror, he actually stepped in.
Completely naked.
She screamed for the third time in the course of ten minutes, her throat growing sore from the repeated action. "What about 'get out' doesn't make sense to you?!" She cried, covering her eyes with both hands.
The shower curtain fell away from her body, and she tried to jump out, grab a towel, and run back into the hotel room before she would have to see anything.
Klaus was having none of that.
He easily pinned her to the wall, pulling her hands away from her face.
"What are you doing?" She cried, squeezing her eyes shut.
"Well, I was sitting there, all alone, thinking," He began. "And I thought to myself, 'What would make this shower faster?' You see, you were taking quite along time in there, and I was afraid that you may have forgotten how to bathe yourself. And seeing as how I needed a shower as well, I thought I could join you and help you. Besides, I was also trying to think up decent punishments that had the potential to be enjoyable for the both of us."
"You're disgusting and I don't need help."
"It's been forty-four minutes, Caroline," Klaus rationalized.
"Touch me and I'll...I'll..."
"You'll what?" Klaus asked, rapidly losing his amusement and his interest in her little game of cat-and-mouse.
"I'll...I'll stake you!" She cried.
Klaus pressed her bare back roughly into the shower wall, eliciting a sharp cry of pain from her. "You are miles away from any sort of help," He began, his voice raising with each word. "You have no weapons. You have no access to the outside world, lest I allow it. You are unable to speak French, and are therefore helpless to survive on your own. Do you think compulsion can transcend language barriers that easily? It takes a strength you simply don't have, love. You have no vervain, and can easily be subjected to my compulsion. So, answer me this - are you really in any position to challenge me?"
Caroline bit down hard into her lip, holding back tears as a sharp whimper escaped her lips. "N-no," She stammered reluctantly, shaking her head, still refusing to open her eyes.
"Good, love. I thought you'd see it my way," He responded, grinning wickedly. "Now be a doll and turn around."
She swallowed down her pride as his grip loosened, and slowly turned so that her back was facing him. Her shoulders tensed as he began to rub circles of soap into her shoulder blades, massaging away the tightness in her muscles. She had to admit, he was good. Very good. As his fingers went lower and lower on her back, she noticed that he had only been squirting liquid soap into his bare hands and rubbing it in. A thought dawned on her and before she could think, she blurted, "Klaus, you wouldn't - "
She caught herself just in time, but the damage was already done. His fingers paused in a place that made it very, very hard to focus, and he leaned in so that his lips were mere centimeters from her ear. "Wouldn't what, love?" He asked curiously.
Caroline's breathing hitched, and time seemed to still momentarily. "You wouldn't...take advantage of me, would you?" She managed to choke out, the words sickening her to hear aloud.
"Take advantage of you?" Klaus repeated incredulously. His resumed his maddening ministrations into her lower back. "Love, do you truly believe that I would behave so lowly as to take advantage of any woman? Especially you, Caroline."
"Especially me?" Caroline scoffed. "Why especially me?"
"Because of all woman in the world, you're the only one who has not given me the desire to hurt them," He responded, and she swore she could hear the smile playing on his lips. "Caroline, don't you realize that? I wish no harm to you, especially by my hand. If only you would realize that if you'd only give in to what your heart and body is telling you you want and need, the furthest thing from your mind right now would be the fear that I would hurt you."
"If you don't want to hurt me, then why won't you just take me back home to Tyler?" She whispered, immediately regretting her words and his grip tightened exponentially.
"Because, that isn't what you really want, Caroline."
"How would you know what I want? You don't know anything about me."
"Turn around, love."
Begrudgingly, Caroline swiveled on her heel to face him, refusing to meet his eyes as he began to work his fingers around her collarbone and shoulders. "Well? For once, has the high and mighty hybrid have nothing to say?"
"I know far more about you than you think," Klaus said, hypnotizing Caroline with the sinful movement of his lips as he spoke.
"Like what? You haven't even taken the time to get to know me," She spat.
"On the contrary, love. I have utilized every opportunity to familiarize myself with you," He informed her, working his way down her body. With each movement, his fingers drifted closer to her bust. "You've never really had parents. Your mother has always been too consumed with her work to care for her daughter, and your father was absent altogether in your life. Or, he might as well have been. You don't think you're good enough, and although you've been friends with her since kindergarten, you resent Elena for being the one that everybody seems to want. You're on a do-or-die mission to organize the world, and you're regarded as Mystic Falls' best party planner. Your biggest accomplishment was winning the coveted title of Miss Mystic Falls, and sometimes, you put on that sash and relive that day because it was your proudest moment. You want somebody who wants you for more than just your body - you want someone who's eager just to wake up next to you. The day you woke up as a vampire after Katherine smothered you to death with a pillow in the hospital still haunts your nightmares, and it seems like the enemies always go after you. You're one hell of a cheerleader, and a lovely dancer. You own over fifty pairs of heels alone - but you're afraid of that people will peg you as weak because you have a shoe fetish. You love baking, and you love the warm feeling of the sun on your skin. And although you get along with him now, you think Damon Salvatore is the biggest douche in Mystic Falls. Shall I continue?"
"Maybe I was wrong," Caroline mumbled reluctantly, letting out a high-pitched squeal as his fingers finally made contact with her breasts. He looked into her eyes at that moment as his touch lingered on her bare breast, and she met his. Her heart sped up, and time slowed down.
"I can finish washing myself the rest of the way," She murmured suddenly, grabbing his hand.
"As you wish," Klaus responded, and he turned and began to wash his own body. Her eyes lingered on the sight.
She had to admit, he was an attractive man. He had strong, well-contoured muscles, broad shoulders, and a powerful stance. She wasn't even going to go into his face, either.
"Are you ogling me, Caroline?" Klaus asked, still turned away. She broke out of her dazed state of mind and turned away, quick to pick up where he'd left off. Her skin prickled, knowing that he'd seen - and touched - her naked body, and that his was only feet away from hers. Guilt prickled beneath her skin, and although it hadn't gone anywhere, she felt as though she'd cheated on Tyler in a way.
"In your dreams," She snapped, angrily focusing her attention on a peeling piece of dried caulk in between two wall tiles that she suddenly found interesting. His chuckle only angered her more, and she began to furiously wash the remainder of her body.
"Is that so?" Klaus murmured, tossing his washcloth to the side as he stepped out of the shower, fully cleansed. As he turned to head out into the main room to dry his hair, he left her with one last sentiment: "Don't keep me waiting, Miss Mystic Falls."
A/N: Wow, it feels like it's been forever since I last updated this. Somehow, I haven't been in the mood to write, but for some reason, the writing bug bit me today. This is the longest chapter thus far - I wanted to make it special since I haven't updated in so long. In the past three chapters, I've depicted Klaus as forceful, and in this one, I wanted to show the side of him that teases Caroline, and makes her feel things she's reluctant to feel. Originally, I planned to set this chapter in the airport, but somehow, completely unplanned, I ended up with a shower scene. I know - I'm teasing you in this chapter. I hope that what's to come is worth the teasing. Anyway, I'm going to try to write the fifth chapter tomorrow morning - even I'm excited to see where this goes. I wanted to thank every single last one of you that reviewed, followed, and favorited this story. Your support means the world to me. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please, tell me what you think!
For updates and the occasional sneak peek, please follow me at my Tumblr, themagicalgirlnextdoor. - xxx Gianna